Brittle star animation

Brittle star skeletons are made of calcite, which dissolves more readily in acidic waters. With increasing levels of carbon dioxide and rising acidity in the ocean, brittle stars and other invertebrates may have more difficulty secreting calcite, affecting their skeletal formation and their ability to survive. Using the Advanced Photon Source, researchers set out to establish the rate at which these skeletal parts, or ossicles, were dissolving. Read more: